Menu

Williams Confirm Merc Deal

Williams have today confirmed that they will be following the same route as Force India in terms of 2014 engine supplier, as the British team announce they will team up with Mercedes. Despite this, Williams will continue to make their own transmission units, which is anticipated to be a cost cutting measure and one which they currently employ.After just two years with Renault, Williams have consequently parted company with the French suppliers. Mercedes have been billed as the strongest of all the engine suppliers, however, Williams will have to be cautious when applying their own transmission units to an engine which components and characteristics may be unknown to the team.However, the supposed positives significantly outweigh the negatives. An exuberant Sir Frank Williams stated, “I’m delighted to announce our new association with Mercedes-Benz for the 2014 Formula One season and beyond. Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package.” The newly appointed Deputy Team Principal, Claire Williams added, “The announcement of this partnership is exciting news for Williams. Securing the right engine supply partnership is a key milestone in the implementation of our strategy for long term success.”A notable factor in the new partnership is Mercedes Executive Director, Toto Wolff. His recent departure for Mercedes was not as transparent as it first seemed. Wolff still owns sizable shares in the British team and undoubtedly orchestrated the deal. “It is a win-win situation for both HPP [Mercedes AMG] and Williams, which will ensure HPP is able to supply at least three teams on a long-term basis under the new regulations and could open interesting new perspectives for technology transfer. We look forward to enjoying much success together over the coming years.” In terms of the engine changes for 2014, the aims of the FIA are too increase the efficiency of Formula One cars. The 1.6 litre engine will receive additional power supply from an ERS, (Energy Recovery System), billed to output ten times the amount of energy compared to the current KERS system. While KERS recovers energy during the braking phase, ERS will recover energy through the exhaust turbine. While at face value, the two systems appear to be similar, this is certainly not the case.With McLaren reuniting with Honda from 2014 onwards, Mercedes currently have confirmed deals with 4 teams for the forthcoming season. A large workload, but an outfit like Mercedes has suitable infrastructure to deal with the demand.

(c) Kyran Gibbons. All Rights Reserved. KGibbsF1 is not affiliated with Formula 1, Formula One Management, Formula One Administration, Formula One Licensing BV or any other subsidiary associated with the official Formula One governing organizations or their shareholders. Official Formula One information can be found at www.formula1.com.